Mumbling through New Year's

What's behind 'Auld Lang Syne'? Learn the words.

What's behind 'Auld Lang Syne'? Learn the words.

December 31, 2006|JAMIE LOO Tribune Staff Writer

SOUTH BEND -- "Should auld acquaintance be forgot," and then mumble the rest of the words, seems to be the way most people sing the New Year's Eve tune "Auld Lang Syne." But what does "Auld Lang Syne" actually mean? And does anyone out there know the words? The Tribune went out Friday morning to take an informal poll downtown. Pat and Shirley Murray of Mishawaka said they are somewhat familiar with the tune: "'Should auld acquaintance be forgot ...' That's about all I know," Pat Murray said. Anita Gilbert said she used to sing it with residents at a nursing home she worked at in Goshen. Most of the residents knew all of the words. "It's something Lopez, 6-year-old Gonzalo Lopez, 4-year-old Daniel Valdez, and 2-year-old Jessica Valdez. A trial date has not been set. Sixteen-year-old Washington cheerleader Ja-Vonda Tharbs became a random shooting victim while waiting outside a South Bend apartment complex for a ride to an after-prom party on April 29. No arrests have been made in her death. Just three weeks ago, 19-year-old Kenny Riles was gunned down running from a party, apparently the innocent victim of a fight he had no part in. Two other men were also shot. Authorities have not charged anyone with the crimes. 9. Notre Dame drama (tie) The University of Notre Dame football team started the season ranked No. 2 in the country, and fans were dreaming of a national championship. The Irish end the year with 10 wins and two losses (to the University of Michigan and the University of Southern California), hoping a win Wednesday over LSU in the Sugar Bowl could vault them back into a spot high in the top 10. 8. After the time's served A pair of homicides left many of us questioning the system for releasing convicted killers back into society. In August, Keith Romine was so enraged with jealousy at seeing his girlfriend, Jan Griffiths, talking to another man that he attacked both of them with his car in front of witnesses. Griffiths was killed, and Derrick Herron was critically injured. Romine had been released from prison last year after serving 24 years for fatally stabbing his wife in the heart in 1981 in Terre Haute, Ind. Kansas native Danny Rouse is awaiting trial on charges that last fall, he murdered 16-year-old waitress Stephanie Wagner, with whom he worked in Winamac. Rouse had been released earlier this year from a Kansas prison after serving 26 years for the murder of a 5-year-old boy whose mother had spurned Rouse's sexual advances. 7. Local servicemen killed Three servicemen with local ties were killed while serving their country in Iraq this year. Staff Sgt. Brock A. Berry, 30, a Warsaw native, died when his vehicle encountered a roadside bomb near al Habbaniyah, Iraq, on March 23. The Kentucky Army National Guard member was on his third tour of overseas duty. Army Sgt. Gabriel G. DeRoo, 25, of Paw Paw, died Aug. 20, in Mosul from injuries suffered when he was hit by small-arms fire. Cpl. Aaron L. Seal, 23, a Marine reservist from Elkhart, was killed in a sniper attack Oct. 1 in Baghdad. Seal was serving with the South Bend-based 6th Engineer Support Battalion. The men joined 10 other Indiana servicemen from this area who have so far died in the war in Iraq. 6. A son is convicted More than 17 years after the shotgun slayings of his father, stepmother and two stepsisters, Jeffrey Pelley was found guilty of four counts of murder in a trial that was widely controversial because of the case's circumstantial evidence and the 31 hours it took a jury to reach its conclusion. Pelley, who still maintains his innocence, was sentenced to 160 years in prison. 5. Fireworks in Roseland "Man, 82, bloodied as police eject him"; "Roseland property spray-painted second time; husband looks to 'horrific cult'"; "Dorothy Snyder gets fruitcake as her term nears end." These are just a few real Tribune headlines about meetings of the three-person Roseland Town Council. Husband-and-wife team Dorothy and David Snyder ruled from a majority position of strength this year that is drawing to an end after Dorothy did not run for re-election. . 4. Democrats score big Politics was big news across the country this year because of the war in Iraq and some discontent with Republicans; Democrats gained ground in significant spots in November's general election. In Michiana, this manifested itself most famously with Democrat Joe Donnelly's win over incumbent Republican Chris Chocola. TV commercials no longer emit the words that hung in the atmosphere for so long: "... and I approved this message." In Indianapolis, with Democrats wresting slim control of the House, South Bend Democrat B. Patrick Bauer will once again be House speaker. This will make Bauer's ongoing verbal sparring with Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels even more interesting. 3. The smoke clears Questions -- and some complaints -- surrounding St. Joseph County's ban on smoking in many public places have not dissipated completely since the ban was enacted in April. 2. A hero is mourned When 36-year-old Cpl. Scott Severns was killed protecting a friend during a robbery attempt in April, the community responded with shared grief and compassion. Two teenagers, Jeffrey Finley and Mijell Redding, are set to go to trial in the case early in 2007. 1. Does a road come with a deed? It might be merely a long, flat stretch of pavement, but it's our long, flat stretch of pavement. That's the message Michiana overwhelmingly delivered to Gov. Mitch Daniels when he proposed a 75-year cash lease of the Toll Road to a foreign company. But despite the raging protest, in June state officials inked the deal, worth $3.8 billion to be spent on other projects. That story is apparently over for now, but Daniels has since proposed more privatization deals to lure other people's money to Indiana. Stay tuned. about starting over," she said. "To forgive and forget," said Karen Chmielewski. Chmielewski's mother, Christine, sang the full first line, which is "Should auld acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind?" "It has something to do with old friends," said Vinette DePhillipe, an employee at Sit & Knit. "It seems like the song is sung at going-away parties and when people are departing. It's a friendship type of song." Gus Vivirito said he never sings the song but took a wild guess at its meaning. "It's about old days gone by," he said. While tidying up the bar at McCormick's on Michigan Street, Matthew McCormick said that every year, plenty of people at the bar attempt to sing "Auld Lang Syne" regardless of whether they know the words. "I know people try to sing every year and I always hear horror stories the next day," he said with a laugh. McCormick said it seems some people sing it to be annoying. He doesn't personally sing -- or know the meaning behind -- the song. "It's been sung for a long time," McCormick said. "I wish I knew more about it." So what does it mean? Vivirito and DePhillipe hit the answer to that question right on the nose. "Auld Lang Syne" means "old long ago" or "times gone by," and it is a song about friendship and the past. The song was first published in the 1790s and credited to poet Robert Burns, who adapted it from an old Scottish tune. The song talks about remembering good old times with friends. Although the friends have been separated, they can still drink to each other in different places. At the end of the song, they finally meet up and have a "goodwill drink" for the days gone by. Famous band leader Guy Lombardo popularized the song in the 1920s when he and his band, the Royal Canadians, played it in London, Ontario, where many Scottish immigrants lived at the time. Lombardo played the song on New Year's Eve in 1929 at a hotel in New York City, and since then it has become a tradition. Now if only we could remember the words. So for those of you who plan to raise a glass at midnight and want to give the Scottish version a try, here are the real lyrics from The Oxford Book of English Verse: Should auld acquaintance be forgot, And never brought to min'? Should auld acquaintance be forgot, And days o' lang syne? We twa hae rin about the braes, And pu'd the gowans fine; But we've wander'd monie a weary fit Sin' auld lang syne. We twa hae paidl't i' the burn, Frae mornin' sun till dine; But seas between us braid hae roar'd Sin' auld lang syne. And here's a hand, my trusty fiere, And gie's a hand o' thine; And we'll tak a right guid-willie waught For auld lang syne. And surely ye'll be your pint-stowp, And surely I'll be mine; And we'll tak a cup o' kindness yet For auld lang syne! For auld lang syne, my dear, For auld lang syne, We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet For auld lang syne. Staff writer Jamie Loo: jloo@sbtinfo.com (574) 235-6337 The Associated Press contributed to this report.